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Sunday, 5 August 2012

As I'm sure you've probably heard already, today marks 50 years since the death of iconic Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe. If she were alive today, she'd be 86 - a pretty reasonable age to live to by modern standards.

I don't know about you, but I can't help but wonder what she'd be doing right now if she was still alive. Perhaps she'd still be making movies, playing the part of the ultimate glamour -Nana, or maybe she'd be overseeing the design of her own fashion label or perfume range like Elizabeth Taylor did. Sadly, that's just another thing about Marilyn that we'll never know.

Although today is a sad occasion, I want to celebrate the short life of this incredible woman by sharing with you my top three favourite Marilyn Monroe films, as well as some of my favourite images of the woman herself. To this day, people dismiss Monroe as a airhead blonde bimbo, but the fact remains she was a very talented actress who had more potential than she had the opportunity to realise. And boy, could she move!

In no particular order...

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

When I first saw this film as a child, I was absolutely blown away by the glamour and beauty of both Marilyn and her co-star, Jane Russell. "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" is still an anthem for money-hungry women today, which just shows you how much of an impact a film can still have nearly 59 years later!

Some Like It Hot

One of her last and arguably most well-known films, Some Like It Hot has been named one of the greatest comedies of all time repeatedly over the years. Although it has been said that Marilyn was a nightmare to work with on set, that doesn't stop her from shining alongside the likes of Jack Lemmon (possibly my favourite man in the world) and Tony Curtis. Jello on springs indeed!

The Seven Year Itch

Marilyn is the face - and body - of temptation in this film, but still manages to play the likeable, loveable girl next door (or should I say upstairs?) to perfection. The image of her standing over the subway vent may be one of the most famous Marilyn photos, but I love this one. Tom Ewell looks like his eyes may pop out of his head!

So there we have it. Marilyn may have been gone for 50 years, but she definitely won't be forgotten any time soon. I don't want to end this post on a sad note, so here's one of my favourite Marilyn scenes from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to cheer us all up!